Adhesive bandages comprising a central pad area and adjacent adhesive areas are well known in the art and popular as first aid wound dressings. Current bandages generally comprise an elongated strip of cloth or plastic backing material coated on one surface with a pressure sensitive adhesive. A gauze or sponge pad is secured to the adhesive surface in a central location to serve as the wound covering material. The wound facing surface of the pad may be plastic coated or otherwise treated to prevent the pad from adhering to the wound. Plastic coated release strips are placed over the adhesive areas and the entire assembly is enclosed in a sealed package and sterilized to be ready for use.
The adhesive bandages of the prior art are characterized by their construction of two separate components, i.e., the bandage proper and the enveloping package. The application of the adhesive surface release strips and the packaging of individual bandages requires additional handling and materials which increases the manufacturing costs. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an improved adhesive bandage. It is a further object of this invention to provide a low cost adhesive bandage through the use of inexpensive materials and low cost manufacturing techniques, and through the elimination of the adhesive surface release strips.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an adhesive bandage and a wrapper or envelope therefor on a continuous basis from a source of composite bandage and wrapper material. A still further object of this invention is to provide a packaged adhesive bandage having an improved bandage delivery system wherein the bandage is presented for application to the wound immediately as the package is opened. These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and claims.